Method and system for flow configuration of multi-domain time sensitive network control plane

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of multi-domain time sensitive network control plane's flow configuration method and system, the method includes: establishing multi-domain time sensitive network topology model, multi-domain time sensitive network topology model includes control plane and data plane;When receiving flow request, the flow parameters of CNC and CUC are configured based on the interaction between CNC and CUC in each domain;Based on the interaction between CNC and east-west manager in each domain, the reachability information of CNC and east-west manager is configured;Based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains, the boundary port and flow state of east-west manager are configured;Based on the transmission of data flow of CUC, CNC and east-west manager of each domain after configuration is completed.The flow configuration method of the application can realize on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying existing TSN standard, so that different TSN domains can interact with each other while improving security.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of time sensitive network, and particularly relates to a flow configuration method of a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane, a flow configuration system of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous change of industrial communication network demand, it is necessary to provide on-demand end-to-end communication. TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) adds real-time functions to Ethernet, TSN has low-delay communication, time synchronization, on-demand flow reservation and configuration, etc. At the same time, it provides a mechanism for centralized reconfiguration of network devices. Factory automation networks are usually isolated and limited to a single production line or factory. With the advent of Industry 4.0, the configurability of industrial networks needs to be flexible to meet the requirements of adaptive production processes with dynamically changing communication and its needs. Industry 4.0 provides new opportunities for connecting multiple industrial automation networks, which raises the need to cross multiple industrial communication networks, connecting multiple industrial automation networks can achieve seamless transition between factory production lines, transfer physical control in production to local data centers, and reduce operating costs.

[0003] SDN (Software-Defined Networking) distinguishes between data plane and control plane. The control plane contains a centralized controller with a global view of the network, reacts to changes and reconfigures the network. The IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) working group has published a set of open real-time Ethernet standards for industrial and automotive networks, focusing on real-time features such as time synchronization and time-based scheduling, and also specifies a method similar to SDN. In order to realize the connection of time sensitive network between multiple domains, real-time communication needs to be carried out on multiple domains, and these domains can be managed separately. The TSN control plane includes CUC (Centralized User Configuration) and CNC (Centralized Network Configuration), which configure the TSN data plane composed of end stations and TSN bridges. The merger of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) with industrial internet of things (IIoT) requires an interface between network control planes. So far, the TSN standard describes the boundaries of the domain, while the interaction between different TSN domains has not been addressed. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems in the related art. To this end, a first object of the present application is to provide a flow configuration method for a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane, by establishing a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model and configuring CUCs and CNCs and east-west managers, after the configuration is completed, the transmission of data flow can be performed, thereby the method can achieve on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard, and different TSN domains can interact with each other while improving security.

[0005] A second object of the present application is to provide a flow configuration system for a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane.

[0006] A third object of the present application is to provide a computer readable storage medium.

[0007] To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present application provides a flow configuration method for a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane, comprising: establishing a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model, the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model comprising a control plane and a data plane, wherein the control plane comprises a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain, and the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain each comprise an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration CNC, and the source domain and the target domain further comprise a centralized user configuration CUC; upon receiving a flow request, configuring flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain; configuring reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager based on interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain; configuring a boundary port and a flow state of the east-west manager based on interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains; and performing transmission of data flow based on the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed.

[0008] According to the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane provided in the embodiments of the present application, a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model is established, and the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model includes a control plane and a data plane, wherein the control plane includes a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain, and each of the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain includes an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration (CNC), and the source domain and the target domain further include a centralized user configuration (CUC). When a flow request is received, the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC are configured based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain, the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager is configured based on the interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain, the boundary port and the flow state of the east-west manager are configured based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains, and the transmission of the data flow is completed by the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed. Thus, the method can realize on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard, can interact between different TSN domains, and can improve security by establishing the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model and configuring the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager.

[0009] In addition, the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane provided in the embodiments of the present application can have the following additional technical features:

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC are configured, including: obtaining flow request basic parameters, wherein the basic parameters include a source MAC address, a target MAC address, a transmission interval, a maximum frame and a minimum frame in each transmission interval; determining time sensitive parameters according to the characteristics of the switches in each domain; and configuring the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC according to the basic parameters and the time sensitive parameters.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, the time sensitive parameters are determined according to the characteristics of the switches in each domain, including: determining the remaining maximum delay on an end-to-end path according to the switches in each domain, obtaining the remaining delay of the end-to-end flow, and obtaining the number of remaining domains; and taking the result of dividing the remaining maximum delay by the result of dividing the remaining delay by the number of remaining domains as the time sensitive parameters of the current domain.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager is configured, including: the topology connection structure of each domain; the MAC address of the boundary port of the adjacent domain; the list of local end stations visible to the multi-domain; and the list of end stations directly or indirectly connected to the domain.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, the boundary port of the east-west manager is configured, including: configuring an egress MAC address for the east-west manager in the source domain, and establishing a flow between the egress MAC address and the source MAC address; configuring an ingress MAC address and an egress MAC address for the east-west manager in the forwarding domain, and establishing a flow between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address; configuring an ingress MAC address for the east-west manager in the target domain, and establishing a flow between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow state of the east-west manager is configured, including: configuring the flow state of the flow data for the east-west manager in each domain based on the identity of each flow data, wherein the flow state includes one or more of: waiting for plan calculation, waiting for confirmation, waiting for configuration, timeout, running, closed or error.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane further includes: configuring the network period and the network clock for the CNC, the CUC and the east-west manager in each domain.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present application, the network period and the network clock are configured, including: obtaining the network clock of the master clock, and synchronizing the time of all domains based on the network clock of the master clock; synchronously configuring the network period of all domains based on the set network period, wherein the network period is the opening time to the closing time of the data flow queue door.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present application, when the flow request is received, the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane further includes: sending the flow request to the CUC of the corresponding domain.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present application, the east-west managers between adjacent domains interact through the east-west protocol, the CNC and the CUC in each domain interact through the Python API, and the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain interact through the Python API.

[0019] To achieve the above object, the second aspect of the present application provides a flow configuration system of a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane, comprising: a model establishing module, configured to establish a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model, the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model comprising a control plane and a data plane, wherein the control plane comprises a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain, and each of the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain comprises an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration (CNC), and the source domain and the target domain further comprise a centralized user configuration (CUC); a first configuration module, configured to, when receiving a flow request, configure flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain; a second configuration module, configured to configure reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager based on interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain; a third configuration module, configured to configure a boundary port and a flow state of the east-west manager based on interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains; and an output transmission module, configured to complete transmission of a data flow based on the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after configuration.

[0020] The flow configuration system of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane according to the embodiment of the present application, the model establishing module is configured to establish a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model, the first configuration module is configured to, when receiving a flow request, configure flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain, the second configuration module is configured to configure reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager based on interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain, the third configuration module is configured to configure a boundary port and a flow state of the east-west manager based on interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains, and the output transmission module is configured to complete transmission of a data flow based on the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after configuration. Thus, the system can achieve on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard by establishing a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model and configuring the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager, and can transmit a data flow after configuration, can interact between different TSN domains, and can improve security.

[0021] In addition, the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane according to the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application can have the following additional technical features:

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present application, when configuring the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC, the first configuration module is specifically configured to: obtain flow request basic parameters, wherein the basic parameters comprise a source MAC address, a target MAC address, a transmission interval, a maximum frame and a minimum frame in each transmission interval; determine time sensitive parameters according to characteristics of switches in each domain; and configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC according to the basic parameters and the time sensitive parameters.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first configuration module, when determining the time-aware parameter according to the switch characteristics in each domain, is specifically configured to: determine the remaining maximum delay on the end-to-end path according to the switches in each domain, and obtain the remaining delay of the end-to-end flow, and obtain the number of remaining domains; and divide the remaining maximum delay by the result of dividing the remaining delay by the number of remaining domains as the time-aware parameter of the current domain.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present application, the third configuration module, when configuring the boundary port of the east-west manager, is specifically configured to: in the source domain, configure an egress MAC address for the east-west manager, and establish a flow between the egress MAC address and the source MAC address; in the forwarding domain, configure an ingress MAC address and an egress MAC address for the east-west manager, and establish a flow between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address; and in the target domain, configure an ingress MAC address for the east-west manager, and establish a flow between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present application, the third configuration module, when configuring the flow state of the east-west manager, is specifically configured to: configure the flow state of the flow data for the east-west manager in each domain based on the identity of each flow data, wherein the flow state includes one or more of: waiting for plan calculation, waiting for confirmation, waiting for configuration, timeout, running, closed, or error.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane can further include a fourth configuration module configured to configure the network period and the network clock for the CNC, the CUC, and the east-west manager in each domain.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present application, the fourth configuration module, when configuring the network period and the network clock, is specifically configured to: obtain the network clock of the master clock, and perform time synchronization for all domains based on the network clock of the master clock; and perform synchronous configuration of the network period of all domains based on the set network period, wherein the network period is the opening time to the closing time of the data flow queue gate.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane can further include a sending module configured to send the flow request to the CUC of the corresponding domain when receiving the flow request.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present application, the east-west managers between adjacent domains interact through the east-west protocol, the CNC and the CUC in each domain interact through the Python API, and the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain interact through the Python API.

[0030] To achieve the above object, the third aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane flow configuration program, and the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane flow configuration program is executed by a processor to implement the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane flow configuration method.

[0031] The computer readable storage medium of the embodiments of the present application can realize on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard, and the different TSN domains can interact with each other while improving security by executing the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane flow configuration method.

[0032] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be made apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 Flow chart of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane flow configuration method according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0034] Figure 2 Communication schematic diagram of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0035] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the east-west manager according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0036] Figure 4 Multi-domain time sensitive network data plane topology diagram according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0037] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the general precise time protocol allocating time for the multi-domain time sensitive network according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0038] Figure 6 Interaction schematic diagram of the multi-domain time sensitive network flow request and the source domain according to one specific embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 7 Interaction schematic diagram of the multi-domain time sensitive network flow request and the forwarding domain according to one specific embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 8 Block schematic diagram of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane flow configuration system according to the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Embodiments of the present application are described below in detail, examples of which are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by reference to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0042] A flow configuration method of a multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane, a flow configuration system of a multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane and a computer readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Figure 1 A flow chart of the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] As shown in Figure 1 , the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane according to an embodiment of the present application can include the following steps:

[0045] S1, a multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model is established, the multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model includes a control plane and a data plane, wherein the control plane includes a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain, the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain each include an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration CNC, and the source domain and the target domain further include a centralized user configuration CUC.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present application, the east-west managers between adjacent domains interact through an east-west protocol, the CNC and the CUC within each domain interact through a Python API, and the CNC within each domain and the east-west manager interact through a Python API.

[0047] Specifically, in order to prove the feasibility of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane, a multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model is first established. For example, as shown in Figure 1 , a multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model composed of TSN domain 1, TSN domain 2, …, TSN domain n (n≥2) can include a control plane and a data plane. The control plane can include a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain. The source domain is the domain where the Talker (sending end) is located, the forwarding domain is the domain where neither the Talker nor the Listener (receiving end) is located, if there is no end station in this domain, its only function is to connect other TSN domains to enable data transmission between different TSN domains, and the target domain is the domain where the Listener of the flow request is located. In the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain, an east-west manager (E / W manager) and a centralized network configuration CNC are included. The source domain and the target domain not only include the east-west manager and the centralized network configuration CNC, but also include a centralized user configuration CUC. The data plane can include a TSN bridge and a terminal station.

[0048] Among them, the centralized network configuration CNC supports the reservation and configuration of unidirectional TSN flow, and each flow is arranged with a separate gate, that is, each flow is allocated to its own queue. The application of CNC supports 1us flow reservation, and the length of network cycle can be set at the beginning of CNC. The size of reservation (minimum 1us) can be calculated according to the number of frames in the data flow and the size of the frame. The scheduling calculation also needs to consider the bridge delay and the propagation delay. The bridge delay is specified for each network port combination, and the time required for a frame to pass through the bridge relay must be determined. In addition, the propagation delay between an outlet network port and the next inlet network port is defined. The GCL (Gate Control List) is generated for the YANG configuration file of the TSN bridge and is configured using the NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol) protocol, and the OpenFlow protocol is used to match traffic to the queue according to the source MAC address and destination MAC address of the flow. The YANG configuration of the end station is provided to the CUC. The interface used by the CUC for flow requests and end station publishing is implemented using the Python-based micro-web framework flask as a REST API, and the network configuration of the end station is provided by the CNC and configured by the CUC using the NETCONF and OpenFlow (a network communication protocol belonging to the data link layer) protocols. As shown in Figure 3 , the east-west manager can support flow requests and publishing, and can judge the flow behavior and flow state through flow management. The communication between the east-west managers is implemented using a JSON-encoded REST API, and for the east-west manager, the topology information can be manually set, and the topology information can be observed and monitored.

[0049] Since the multi-domain time sensitive network end-to-end TSN flow must be established between the end stations of different TSN domains, it is necessary to define the interconnection mechanism between the control plane network elements of different domains and the interaction between the data plane network elements of different domains. In the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model control plane, the interaction between two adjacent TSN domains is connected through the east-west manager, and data communication can be performed through the east-west protocol. For example, the data communication between TSN domain 1 and TSN domain 2 is performed through NETCONF / YANG (Yet Another Next Generation, a data modeling language for NETCONF access). The communication between CNC and CUC in each TSN domain is performed through Python API, and the interaction between CNC and the east-west manager in each TSN domain is performed through Python API. Among them, the Python API is a Python language-based application programming interface, through which the mutual communication between computer software can be realized.

[0050] S2, upon receiving the flow request, configuring the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain.

[0051] According to one embodiment of the present application, the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane upon receiving the flow request further comprises: sending the flow request to the CUC of the corresponding domain.

[0052] Specifically, upon receiving the flow request, the flow request can be sent to the CUC in the corresponding TSN domain, and the flow request can be sent through the configuration protocol of a specific application, for example, the OPC UA protocol.

[0053] According to one embodiment of the present application, the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC are configured, including: obtaining the flow request basic parameters, wherein the basic parameters include the source MAC address, the target MAC address, the transmission interval, the maximum frame and the minimum frame in each transmission interval; determining the time awareness parameters according to the switch characteristics in each domain; and configuring the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC according to the basic parameters and the time awareness parameters.

[0054] According to one embodiment of the present application, the time awareness parameters are determined according to the switch characteristics in each domain, including: determining the remaining maximum delay on the end-to-end path according to the switch in each domain, and obtaining the remaining delay of the end-to-end flow, and obtaining the number of remaining domains; and taking the result of dividing the remaining maximum delay by the result of dividing the remaining delay by the number of remaining domains as the time awareness parameters of the current domain.

[0055] Specifically, when receiving a stream request, the basic parameters of the stream request are obtained. For example, the source MAC (Media Access Control Address) address of the stream request, the target MAC address of the stream request, the transmission interval of the stream request, and the maximum frame and minimum frame in each transmission interval, etc. These basic parameters remain unchanged during end-to-end transmission, while time-aware parameters must be determined individually according to the domains through which the stream passes. Time-aware parameters can be artificially designed according to the characteristics of switches within each domain, with the purpose of calculating time-related parameters, such as calculating end-to-end delay, which may result in unsuccessful stream requests if the maximum end-to-end delay of the request is small. For multi-domain stream settings, after a feasible configuration is found in one domain in the end-to-end path, the time information, including the remaining maximum delay, is passed to the next domain. Since there is a maximum delay for each flow, in order to reduce the computational load on the control plane, a suitable mechanism is needed to share the maximum delay of the stream request, which can be calculated to determine whether each flow meets the maximum end-to-end delay requirement. First, the remaining maximum delay on the end-to-end path is determined according to the characteristics of the switches within each TSN domain, and the remaining delay of the end-to-end stream is obtained, as well as the number of remaining TSN domains. The maximum delay is calculated by dividing the remaining maximum delay on the end-to-end path by the remaining delay of the end-to-end stream and then by the number of remaining domains.

[0056] It should be noted that in the stream request, ETO (Earliest Transmit Offset) and LTO (Latest Transmit Offset) specify a range for the offset in the network cycle, i.e. the offset in the network cycle between ETO and LTO, within which the Talker can transmit data. Although ETO and LTO increase the flexibility of scheduling, for multi-domain time-sensitive networks, only the first domain can take advantage of this flexibility. Once a stream is scheduled to the boundary of the next domain, the arrival time is fixed, i.e. the ETO and LTO of the next TSN domain and another TSN domain are the same.

[0057] S3, based on the interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager within each domain, the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager is configured.

[0058] According to an embodiment of the present application, the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager is configured, including: the topological connection structure of each domain; the MAC address of the boundary port of the adjacent domain; the list of local end stations visible to the multi-domain; the list of end stations directly or indirectly connected to the domain.

[0059] Specifically, in TSN, only CNC contains information about network topology, for multi-domain time sensitive network flow request, each intra-domain CNC interacts with east-west manager, the east-west manager as a separate entity, needs reachability information, these reachability information must be exchanged using east-west protocol, and the exchanged information is limited as much as possible to achieve topology hiding and improve security. Reachability information can include: topology connection structure of each TSN domain (for example, as shown in (a) for the entire data plane topology, (b) for the hidden data plane topology), MAC address of the boundary port of adjacent TSN domain (each TSN domain east-west manager provides the ingress MAC address and egress MAC address of the domain), local end station list visible to multiple TSN domains (since there are end stations visible to other TSN domains and end stations invisible to other TSN domains in each TSN domain, the local end station list is the MAC address of all terminals in the TSN domain that are visible to other TSN domains), and the list of end stations directly connected to the domain or the list of end stations indirectly connected to the domain. Figure 4

[0060] S4, based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains, configuring the boundary port and flow state of the east-west manager.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present application, configuring the boundary port of the east-west manager comprises: in the source domain, configuring the egress MAC address for the east-west manager, and establishing a flow between the egress MAC address and the source MAC address; in the forwarding domain, configuring the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address for the east-west manager, and establishing a flow between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address; in the target domain, configuring the ingress MAC address for the east-west manager, and establishing a flow between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

[0062] ​Specifically, a flow is usually configured by a CNC using the source address and destination MAC address of a flow request between two end stations in one TSN domain. Since there are different broadcast domains in a multi-domain time sensitive network, the CNC has no information about the end stations of other TSN domains. Therefore, two new parameters are introduced for a flow request when interacting between two adjacent TSN domain east-west managers: ingress MAC address and egress MAC address. The ingress MAC address is the MAC address of the ingress boundary network port of the boundary TSN bridge where the traffic of two adjacent TSN domains enters one domain. The egress MAC address is the MAC address of the egress boundary network port of the TSN bridge where the traffic leaves one TSN domain and is transmitted to the next adjacent TSN domain. The east-west manager can send two different types of flow requests: local flow request (to the local CNC) and multi-domain flow request to the east-west manager of other domains. For a local flow request within the source domain of the request, where the source end station is known but the target end station of the CNC is unknown, the east-west manager will add an egress MAC address to the local flow request, and the CNC establishes a flow between the source MAC address and the egress MAC address. In the TSN bridge, frame matching still needs the source MAC address and the target MAC address. For a multi-domain flow request created by the east-west manager, i.e., within the source domain, only the data information is transmitted to the next TSN domain, the egress MAC address can be configured for the east-west manager, and the CNC establishes a flow between the egress MAC address and the source MAC address. In the forwarding domain, the domain receives the data information transmitted by the last TSN domain and sends the data information to the next TSN domain, the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address can be configured for the east-west manager, and the CNC establishes a flow between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address. In the target domain, only the data information transmitted by the last domain is received, the ingress MAC address can be configured for the east-west manager, and the CNC establishes a flow between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

[0063] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow state of the east-west manager is configured, including: based on the identity of each flow data, configuring the flow state of the flow data for the east-west manager in each domain, wherein the flow state includes one or more of: waiting for plan calculation, waiting for confirmation, waiting for configuration, timeout, running, closed or error.

[0064] Specifically, the flow in TSN includes a flow ID identifier, and the TSN domain should be identified by a universally unique identifier (UUID). Each east-west manager saves the state of all active multi-domain time sensitive network flows in its corresponding domain. For example, the current flow state can be one or more of the following states: waiting for plan calculation state, waiting for confirmation state, waiting for configuration state, timeout state, running state, closed state or error state.

[0065] S5, transmitting the data flow based on the CUC, CNC and east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed.

[0066] According to an embodiment of the application, the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane further comprises: configuring the network period and the network clock for the CNC, the CUC and the east-west manager in each domain.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the application, the network period and the network clock are configured, comprising: obtaining the network clock of the master clock, and synchronizing the time of all domains based on the network clock of the master clock; synchronously configuring the network period of all domains based on the set network period, wherein the network period is the opening time to the closing time of the data flow queue door.

[0068] Specifically, according to the definition in the TSN-IA configuration file, for isochronous and cyclic synchronous traffic, all network devices (TSN bridges and end stations) need to be synchronized to the network clock and the network period. Time information is exchanged in the multi-domain time sensitive network flow request, and a common time reference for the TSN domain is needed. As shown in Figure 5 When configuring the network period and the network clock, the time of the master clock is obtained, and a centralized master clock provides time for all TSN domains (TSN domain 1, TSN domain 2 and TSN domain 3), that is, the time of one master clock is synchronized for all TSN domains, each TSN domain contains a PTP RelayInstance (PTP exchange node), and through GPTP (Generalized Precision Time Protocol, Generalized Precision Time Protocol), the purpose of synchronizing the time of all TSN domains is achieved, thereby providing the same working clock for all participants. The network period describes the repeating time interval used in the network, that is, the opening time to the closing time of the corresponding door of the data flow queue during transmission. Different network periods increase the complexity of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane mechanism, and the network period of all TSN domains needs to be synchronously configured. The application period for IO data transmission and the application time (for example, control cycle) for executing a function are not affected. For network periods that are multiples of each other or have a common base, the complexity is manageable.

[0069] Therefore, based on the CUC, CNC and east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed, the transmission of the data flow in the multi-domain time sensitive network is completed. For example, as shown in Figure 6

[0070] 1. The end-to-end flow request proposed by the centralized user configuration CUC of the source domain.​

[0071] 2. The request for a centralized user configuration CUC is transmitted to the centralized network configuration CNC.

[0072] 3. The flow request for a locally unknown destination is forwarded by the centralized network configuration CNC to the E / W manager.

[0073] 4. The local flow request for a flow segment from the source domain to the border network port is provided by the E / W manager to the centralized network configuration CNC. New parameters: maximum delay, egress MAC address, request configuration only after successful flow negotiation.

[0074] 5. The centralized network configuration CNC confirms the local flow to the E / W manager. Parameters: cumulative delay (from talker to next domain border network port), transmission offset.

[0075] 6. The flow continuation request is issued by the E / W manager to the E / W manager within the adjacent TSN domain. Adjusted parameters: ETO, LTO, maximum delay, ingress MAC address.

[0076] 7. After all TSN domains on the receive path have confirmed the flow request parameters, the E / W manager within the adjacent TSN domain confirms the flow (or flow rejection) to the E / W manager.

[0077] 8. The flow segment is confirmed by the E / W manager to the centralized network configuration CNC. Parameters: reservation confirmation.

[0078] 9. The centralized network configuration CNC configures the data plane (e.g. NETCONF / YANG).

[0079] 10. The centralized network configuration CNC confirms the flow to the centralized user configuration CUC. Parameters: source domain configuration (e.g. transmission offset)

[0080] 11. The centralized user configuration CUC configures the source domain.

[0081] As shown in Figure 7 Fig. 2, a process for handling a forwarding domain for a TSN flow request in a multi-domain TSN network, while showing the interaction of the previous domain (TSN domain n-1) and the next forwarding domain (TSN domain n+1):

[0082] 1. Flow continuation request of the adjacent E / W manager.

[0083] 2. Local flow request for a flow segment from the ingress border network port to the egress border network port by the E / W manager. New parameters: maximum delay, ingress MAC address, egress MAC address, request configuration only after successful flow negotiation.

[0084] 3. The centralized network configuration CNC acknowledges the local stream to the E / W manager. Parameters: accumulated delay (from ingress border network port to egress border network port), transmission offset.

[0085] 4. The E / W manager issues a stream continuation request to the E / W manager in the adjacent TSN domain. Adjusted parameters: ETO, LTO, maximum delay (remaining), ingress MAC address.

[0086] 5. The E / W manager in the adjacent TSN domain acknowledges (or rejects) the stream to the E / W manager after all the TSN domains on the receiving path confirm the request parameters.

[0087] 6. The E / W manager acknowledges the stream segment to the centralized network configuration CNC. Parameters: reserved acknowledgement.

[0088] 7. The centralized network configuration CNC data plane configuration (such as NETCONF / YANG).

[0089] 8. The centralized network configuration CNC confirms the stream configuration to the E / W manager.

[0090] 9. The E / W manager acknowledges (or rejects) the stream to the E / W manager in the previous adjacent TSN domain.

[0091] In addition, for the target domain, the E / W manager requests a local stream with direct configuration. As the last domain of the multi-domain time sensitive network stream request, it is not necessary to reserve an area for the subsequent configuration of the target domain in advance. The CNC also provides a receiving end configuration for the CUC. When there are multiple CUCs in each TSN domain, the CNC needs to know the CUC to which the receiving end belongs. When a certain TSN domain cannot provide the stream configuration, the stream request will be rejected, and the information of the stream request being rejected will be notified to the previous TSN domain.

[0092] To sum up, according to the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane provided in the embodiment of the present application, a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model is established, the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model comprises a control plane and a data plane, wherein the control plane comprises a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain, and the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain each comprise an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration CNC, and the source domain and the target domain further comprise a centralized user configuration CUC; when a flow request is received, the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC are configured based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain; the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager is configured based on the interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain; the boundary port and the flow state of the east-west manager are configured based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains; and the transmission of the data flow is completed based on the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed. Thus, the method can realize on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard, can enable different TSN domains to interact with each other, and can improve security.

[0093] Corresponding to the above embodiment, the present application further provides a flow configuration system of a multi-domain time sensitive network control plane.

[0094] As shown in Figure 8 the flow configuration system 100 of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane provided in the embodiment of the present application comprises a model establishment module 110, a first configuration module 120, a second configuration module 130, a third configuration module 140 and an output transmission module 150.

[0095] The model establishment module 110 is configured to establish a multi-domain time sensitive network topology model, the multi-domain time sensitive network topology model comprises a control plane and a data plane, wherein the control plane comprises a source domain, a forwarding domain and a target domain, and the source domain, the forwarding domain and the target domain each comprise an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration CNC, and the source domain and the target domain further comprise a centralized user configuration CUC. The first configuration module 120 is configured to, when a flow request is received, configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain. The second configuration module 130 is configured to configure the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager based on the interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain. The third configuration module 140 is configured to configure the boundary port and the flow state of the east-west manager based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains. The output transmission module 150 is configured to complete the transmission of the data flow based on the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed.

[0096] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first configuration module 120, when configuring the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC, is specifically configured to: acquire flow request basic parameters, wherein the basic parameters include a source MAC address, a target MAC address, a transmission interval, a maximum frame and a minimum frame in each transmission interval; determine time awareness parameters according to the switch characteristics in each domain; and configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC according to the basic parameters and the time awareness parameters.

[0097] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first configuration module 120, when determining the time awareness parameters according to the switch characteristics in each domain, is specifically configured to: determine the remaining maximum delay on an end-to-end path according to the switches in each domain, acquire the remaining delay of the end-to-end flow, and acquire the number of remaining domains; and divide the remaining maximum delay by the result of dividing the remaining delay by the number of remaining domains as the time awareness parameter of the current domain.

[0098] According to an embodiment of the present application, the third configuration module 140, when configuring the boundary port of the east-west manager, is specifically configured to: configure an egress MAC address for the east-west manager in the source domain, and establish a flow between the egress MAC address and the source MAC address; configure an ingress MAC address and an egress MAC address for the east-west manager in the forwarding domain, and establish a flow between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address; and configure an ingress MAC address for the east-west manager in the target domain, and establish a flow between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

[0099] According to an embodiment of the present application, the third configuration module 140, when configuring the flow state of the east-west manager, is specifically configured to: configure the flow state of the flow data for the east-west manager in each domain based on the identity of each flow data, wherein the flow state includes one or more of: waiting for plan calculation, waiting for confirmation, waiting for configuration, timeout, running, closed, or error.

[0100] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time sensitive network control plane further includes a fourth configuration module configured to configure a time period and a time synchronization for the CNC, the CUC and the east-west manager in each domain.

[0101] According to an embodiment of the present application, the fourth configuration module, when configuring the network period and the network clock synchronization, is specifically configured to: acquire a network clock of a master clock, and perform time synchronization for all domains based on the network clock of the master clock; and perform synchronization configuration for the network period of all domains based on a set network period, wherein the network period is the opening time to the closing time of the data flow queue gate.

[0102] According to one embodiment of the present application, the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane further comprises a sending module configured to send the flow request to the CUC of the corresponding domain when the flow request is received.

[0103] According to one embodiment of the present application, the adjacent domain east-west managers interact through the east-west protocol, the CNC and the CUC in each domain interact through the Python API, and the CNC in each domain and the east-west manager interact through the Python API.

[0104] It should be noted that details not disclosed in the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane of the embodiments of the present application are referred to the details disclosed in the flow configuration method of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane of the embodiments of the present application, which will not be described here.

[0105] According to the flow configuration system of the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane of the embodiments of the present application, the model establishing module is configured to establish a multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model, the first configuration module is configured to configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain when the flow request is received, the second configuration module is configured to configure the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager based on the interaction between the CNC in each domain and the east-west manager, and the third configuration module is configured to configure the boundary port and the flow state of the east-west manager based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains, and the output transmission module is configured to complete the transmission of the data flow based on the CUC, the CNC and the east-west manager of each domain after the configuration is completed. Therefore, the system can realize on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard by establishing a multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model and configuring the CUC and the CNC and the east-west manager, and can transmit data flow after the configuration is completed, can interact between different TSN domains, and can improve security.

[0106] According to the above embodiments, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium.

[0107] The computer readable storage medium of the embodiments of the present application has a multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane flow configuration program stored thereon, and the multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane flow configuration program is executed by a processor to realize the above-mentioned multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane flow configuration method.

[0108] The computer readable storage medium of the embodiments of the present application can realize on-demand end-to-end boundary delay flow reservation and configuration without modifying the existing TSN standard by executing the above-mentioned multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane flow configuration method, can interact between different TSN domains, and can improve security.

[0109] It should be noted that the logical and / or steps represented in the flowcharts or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a list of executable instructions for implementing logic functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor- containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions, or a combination of the above. For the purposes of this specification, a "computer-readable medium" can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can be a product of the manufacturing and / or processing, and / or a combination of such products. The computer-readable medium can be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium include the following: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM). In addition, the computer-readable medium can even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, for example, via the optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in the computer memory.

[0110] It should be understood that aspects of the application can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, various steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware that is stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, any of the following technologies, known in the art, or a combination thereof, can be used: discrete logic circuitry having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, application specific integrated circuits having appropriate combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGA), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and so forth.

[0111] In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Also, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0112] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only for the purpose of description, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implying a number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0113] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0114] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limiting the present application, and those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, replacements and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flow configuration method for the control plane of a multi-domain time-sensitive network, characterized in that, include: A multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model is established, which includes a control plane and a data plane. The control plane includes a source domain, a forwarding domain, and a destination domain. The source domain, the forwarding domain, and the destination domain all include an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration (CNC). The source domain and the destination domain also include a centralized user configuration (CUC). Upon receiving a stream request, the stream parameters of the CNC and the CUC are configured based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC within each domain; Based on the interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager within each domain, configure the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager; Based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains, configure the boundary ports and flow states of the east-west managers; The data flow is transmitted based on the CUC, CNC, and east-west manager of each domain after configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC, including: Obtain basic parameters for the stream request, including the source MAC address, destination MAC address, transmission interval, maximum frame and minimum frame in each transmission interval; Determine the time-aware parameters based on the characteristics of the switches within each domain; Configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on the basic parameters and the time-aware parameters.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Time-aware parameters are determined based on the characteristics of the switches within each domain, including: Determine the maximum remaining latency on the end-to-end path based on the switches within each domain, obtain the remaining latency of the end-to-end flow, and obtain the number of remaining domains; The result of dividing the remaining maximum delay by the remaining delay by the number of remaining domains is used as the time-aware parameter of the current domain.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Configure the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager, including: The topological connection structure of each domain; The MAC address of the boundary port of the adjacent domain; A list of local terminal sites visible to multiple domains; A list of terminal stations directly or indirectly connected to the domain.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Configure the boundary port of the east-west manager, including: Within the source domain, an exit MAC address is configured for the east-west manager, and a flow is established between the exit MAC address and the source MAC address; Within the forwarding domain, an ingress MAC address and an egress MAC address are configured for the east-west manager, and a flow is established between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address; Within the target domain, an ingress MAC address is configured for the east-west manager, and a flow is established between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Configure the flow state of the east-west manager, including: Based on the identity of each stream data, the east-west manager in each domain configures the stream status of the stream data, wherein the stream status includes one or more of the following: waiting for plan calculation, waiting for confirmation, waiting for configuration, timeout, running, shut down, or error.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Configure network cycles and network clocks for the CNC, CUC, and East-West Manager within each domain.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Configure network period and network clock, including: Obtain the network clock of the master clock and synchronize the time of all domains based on the network clock of the master clock; Based on the set network period, the network period of all domains is synchronized and configured, wherein the network period is the opening time to closing time of the data flow queue gate.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Upon receiving a streaming request, the method further includes: The stream request is sent to the CUC of the corresponding domain.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The east-west managers of adjacent domains interact with each other through an east-west protocol. The CNC and CUC within each domain interact through a Python API. The CNC and the east-west manager within each domain also interact through a Python API.

11. A flow configuration system for a multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane, characterized in that, include: The model building module is used to build a multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model. The multi-domain time-sensitive network topology model includes a control plane and a data plane. The control plane includes a source domain, a forwarding domain, and a target domain. The source domain, the forwarding domain, and the target domain all include an east-west manager and a centralized network configuration (CNC). The source domain and the target domain also include a centralized user configuration (CUC). The first configuration module is used to configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on the interaction between the CNC and the CUC in each domain when a flow request is received. The second configuration module is used to configure the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager based on the interaction between the CNC and the east-west manager in each domain. The third configuration module is used to configure the boundary ports and flow states of the east-west managers based on the interaction between the east-west managers of adjacent domains. The output transmission module is used to transmit data streams based on the configured CUC, CNC, and east-west manager of each domain.

12. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, When configuring the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC, the first configuration module is specifically used for: Obtain basic parameters for the stream request, including the source MAC address, destination MAC address, transmission interval, maximum frame and minimum frame in each transmission interval; Determine the time-aware parameters based on the characteristics of the switches within each domain; Configure the flow parameters of the CNC and the CUC based on the basic parameters and the time-aware parameters.

13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that, When determining time-aware parameters based on the characteristics of switches within each domain, the first configuration module is specifically used for: Determine the maximum remaining latency on the end-to-end path based on the switches within each domain, obtain the remaining latency of the end-to-end flow, and obtain the number of remaining domains; The result of dividing the remaining maximum delay by the remaining delay by the number of remaining domains is used as the time-aware parameter of the current domain.

14. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, When configuring the reachability information of the CNC and the east-west manager, the second configuration module is specifically used for: The topological connection structure of each domain; The MAC address of the boundary port of the adjacent domain; A list of local terminal sites visible to multiple domains; A list of terminal stations directly or indirectly connected to the domain.

15. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, When configuring the boundary ports of the east-west manager, the third configuration module is specifically used for: Within the source domain, an exit MAC address is configured for the east-west manager, and a flow is established between the exit MAC address and the source MAC address; Within the forwarding domain, an ingress MAC address and an egress MAC address are configured for the east-west manager, and a flow is established between the ingress MAC address and the egress MAC address; Within the target domain, an ingress MAC address is configured for the east-west manager, and a flow is established between the ingress MAC address and the target MAC address.

16. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, When configuring the flow state of the east-west manager, the third configuration module is specifically used for: Based on the identity of each stream data, the east-west manager in each domain configures the stream status of the stream data, wherein the stream status includes one or more of the following: waiting for plan calculation, waiting for confirmation, waiting for configuration, timeout, running, shut down, or error.

17. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: The fourth configuration module is used to configure the network cycle and network clock for each CNC, CUC and East-West Manager in each domain.

18. The system according to claim 17, characterized in that, The fourth configuration module, when configuring the network cycle and network clock, is specifically used for: Obtain the network clock of the master clock and synchronize the time of all domains based on the network clock of the master clock; Based on the set network period, the network period of all domains is synchronized and configured, wherein the network period is the opening time to closing time of the data flow queue gate.

19. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: The sending module is used to send the stream request to the CUC of the corresponding domain when a stream request is received.

20. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The east-west managers of adjacent domains interact with each other through an east-west protocol. The CNC and CUC within each domain interact through a Python API. The CNC and the east-west manager within each domain also interact through a Python API.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a flow configuration program for a multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane, which, when executed by a processor, implements the flow configuration method for a multi-domain time-sensitive network control plane according to any one of claims 1-10.

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